Articles by Kirsten Mason

This article appeared in the Kamloops This Week on Friday, February 12, 2010 and was written by Jeremy Deutsch.

The building train in the River City kept a-rollin’ all month long. Construction in the city for the beginning of 2010 is keeping pace with the strong finish that marked the end of the previous calendar year.

The number of single-family building permits issued by the city in January hit 13, compared to just two in January 2009. That helped spur the overall construction value for the month to top $13 million, compared to just $3 million the previous January. The city also handed out $8 million in commercial-building permits for the month.

The positive numbers are a surprise, said David Trawin, the city’s director of engineering and development. “It’s gearing up to be a good spring.” he said noting another 13 projects worth more than $1 million are already being reviewed at city hall for February. Trawin said the flurry of activity is a result of the warm winter, which kicked off the construction season early. He expects permits to drop off as spring turns into summer.

Last year, the city recorded $160 million in construction activity, surpassing expectations. This year, it’s forecast to issue $120 to $130 million in permits.

The strong month is mirroring the number of housing starts in Kamloops.

According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 21 new single-family homes started construction in January, up from six the previous year.

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